Olivier Patey (France)

Ballet dancer, ballet master and choreographer

One of the most renowned French ballet dancer, ballet master and choreographer. He graduated from the Paris National Opera's Ballet School. His teachers were Raymond Franchetti, Gilbert Mayer and Alexandre Kalioujny, Richard Glasstone, Walter Trevor, Terry Westmoreland and Brian Shaw. Since 1983 he was the principal dancer at the Paris Opera. Since 1997 he has continued his international career as a dancer, choreographer and dance pedagogue. For over twenty years he has successfully co-operated, both as a dancer and choreographer, with numerous theatres and ballet companies all over the world, e.g.: the Paris National Opera, Compania Nacional de Danza de Mexico, the Singapore Dance Theatre, the Korean National University of Art, the Perm National Ballet Academy in Russia, The National Ballet of Belgrade, The Scottish Ballet, The Academic National Theatre in Novosibirsk in Russia, the German Staatstheater Braunschweig, Volkstheater Rostock, Sächsische Oper Dresden. He performed as soloist on the world's most prestigious stages, dancing solo part in realizations of outstanding choreographers such as Alvin Nikolaïs, Youri Grigorovitch, John Neumeier, Sir Kenneth Mac Millan, Karole Armitage, Nils Christe, Lucinda Childs, Dominique Bagouet, Mark Morris. He also created many choreographies presented in the ballet venues worldwide, e.g. at the National Opera in Paris, the National Ballet of Cuba, the Korean National Ballet or the Bucharest National Opera Ballet. He is a frequent member of the jury of international ballet and choreography competitions. In 1996, Olivier Patey was honoured with the title of "Chevalier des Arts et Lettres" by the French Government.